[On-site interview] "It wasn't just Kangi-seul and Kim Dan-bi": Japan's Fujitsu Red Wave stunned by three-peat... "Lee Myeong-gwan was also tough"

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Coach Hikaru Kusaka, who led Japan's Fujitsu Red Wave to a third consecutive Park Shin-ja Cup title, highly evaluated the strength of their final opponent, Asan Woori Bank. He praised not only the reliable one-two punch of Kangi-seul and Kim Dan-bi, but also the contributions of other players such as Lee Myeong-gwan.

Fujitsu defeated Woori Bank 78-71 in the final of the 2026 KB Kookmin Bank Park Shin-ja Cup held at the Cheongju Indoor Gymnasium on the 11th to claim the championship.

With this, Fujitsu has reached the top of the Park Shin-ja Cup for three consecutive years, following their titles in 2024 and 2025. It is the first time an overseas team has achieved a three-peat in the tournament's history. In terms of all-time most championships in the Park Shin-ja Cup, Fujitsu tied with Bucheon Hana Bank, which won three consecutive titles from 2018 to 2020, sharing first place with three championships each.

Fujitsu's Samantha Fearing was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player (MVP). Fearing received five votes out of 11 in a poll conducted by on-site reporters. She played in six games during this tournament, averaging 17 minutes and 8 seconds on the court, while recording 12.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.

However, the final was not a one-sided victory for Fujitsu.

Fujitsu took control of the game by leading 49-37 at halftime, but Woori Bank's pursuit was fierce. In particular, in the fourth quarter, Woori Bank rapidly narrowed the gap with outside shooting and even tied the score at one point, putting pressure on Fujitsu.

Coach Kusaka admitted that he felt quite tense during Woori Bank's comeback attempt.

"Our original plan was to run the game centered around the paint area," he reflected. "I thought it was going well, but allowing Woori Bank outside shots in the first half threw our plan off track."

He continued, "We went back to the basics and reconsidered how we should defend. We discussed starting with pressure defense during a timeout, and it seems that led to a good result."

The players Fujitsu guarded most closely were, as expected, Kangi-seul and Kim Dan-bi.

However, once the final began, it became clear that stopping just those two players was not enough to solve the problem.

"Woori Bank's core is Kangi-seul and Kim Dan-bi," said Coach Kusaka, adding, "As the game progressed, I felt that other players besides them stepped up their performance."

He specifically mentioned Lee Myeong-gwan. "Lee Myeong-gwan was good, and so were Nana Katayama and Mako Fujimoto," said Coach Kusaka. "They were tough."

Indeed, Woori Bank did not rely solely on Kangi-seul and Kim Dan-bi. Lee Myeong-gwan led Woori Bank's offense with 20 points that day. Kangi-seul recorded 11 points, including three three-pointers, while Kim Dan-bi also delivered a triple-double-caliber performance with 12 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists.

Coach Kusaka also paid attention to the overall changes in Korean women's basketball beyond just Woori Bank.

"There are many things I think about while playing against Korean teams," he said. "I knew there were players skilled at outside shooting, but it seems that the number of good players is increasing."

He also mentioned his experience facing Japan in the recently held 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

"I felt Korea's outside game was strong even in the Japan-Korea match at the Asian Games," said Coach Kusaka, adding, "Looking at their performance, it seems that outside play is important."

Nevertheless, the strength that allowed Fujitsu to smile at the end was defense. "Fujitsu is, after all, a defensive team," said Coach Kusaka. "In pressure defense, how much you don't get pushed around by your matchup opponent is important. By solving problems one by one as we played, I think we were able to win with a good game."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original